Grain-shoe.



C. L. SOCKWELL.

GRAIN SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29. I917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET E IH uc M410: 1 @harlie L., 0c7ZweZZ,

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Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

0.1. SOCKWELL.

GRAIN SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29. 1911.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z Uhcuiie L gocliwell,

its an r i CHARLIE L. SOCKWELL, OF NORTHWILKESBORO, .NORTH CAROLINA.

GRAIN-SHOE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

Application filed March 29, 1317. Serial No. 158,311.

lowing cobs and nubbins to pass out of the hopper to the extreme upper end. of. the grain shoe and to arrange same so as to prevent choking of the feed. It is a further obiect of my invent on to provide a novel valve within the grain shoe so that the shoe may bequickly adjusted for screening different kinds of material or grain. It is a further object of my invention to provide a novel means for regulating the operation of the grain shoe, as set forth in the accom panying drawing illustrative of the invention.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the entire device applied to a corn mill; Fig. 2 is a top plan of my improved grain shoe; Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 1;

and Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the lower month end of the grain shoe.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts'throughout the several views.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I provide a grain shoe 1, as shown in the drawing, having a sheet metal bottom 2, a suitable intermediate fine screen 3. and an upper suitable screening member 4:, which may be of wire screen or perforated tin. At the lower end of the grain shoe in the lowermost chamber. I provide a novel valve 5 adj ustably secured by fastening member 6. \Vhen valve 5 is in the position shown in Fig. 2 the material entering the lowermost chamber of the grain shoe is guided out through mouth 7, illustrated in Fig. 5; and when valve 5 is in reverse position the material in the lowermost chamber is guided out through mouth 8, as shown in Fig. 4. These mouths open into passages leading out. of the mill in different directions, such passages being the same as heretofore employed in mills of this type. The upper end of the grain shoe is provided with a novel hopperlike casting 9 supported in a plane above and inclined downwardly toward the upper end of the grain shoe.

To regulate the flow of material from the main hopper 10 to the hopper-like casting 9, I provide a sleeve 11, which is longitudinally adjustable relative to the mouth of the hopper 10 and supported by a fork 12 which engages projections 13 on sleeve 11. Fork 12 is pivotally mounted on a suitable support 1 1, and its position, and consequently that of sleeve 11, is regulated by hand adjusting screw 15 and by a suitable spring '16.

I provide ,a suitable shoe casting or arm 18 whichis attached to the upper end of the grainshoe to operatively connect it with the shoe vibrator 19. The latter member is pivotally mounted and provided with a ball at one end which is mounted in a suitable ball and socket member 20. Adjustablv attached to the ball and socket member 20 is a suitable eccentric rod 21 which is driven by any suitable eccentric from a revolving shaft of the mill.

in operation the vertical movement of eccentric rod 1 and member 20 causes a vibration of the pivotally mounted shoe vibrator 19. The latter is pivotally attached to shoe casting 18, and that member in turn -is rigidly secured to the grain shoe. A vibratory movement is thus imparted to the grain shoe. Material dropped into hopper 10 flows down on to member 9. The amount of the flow is regulated by the position of sleeve 11. The position of sleeve 11 is adjusted or regulated by member 15. as shown in Fig. 3. Material having entered the hopper-like casting 9 flows thence into the upper end of the grain shoe onto screening member 14:. It is thus possible to utilize the entire length of the grain show for screening purposes. Cobs and nubbins which fail to pass through screening member 4 are carried off through a suitable mouth 22, as shown in Fig. 2. Of the mass of grain or material passing through screening member 4 the finest also sifts through the finer screen 3 and thence out through mouth 8, beingdiverted by valve 5 when that member is in the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 4, while the coarser grain flows out through mouth 7. Under other circumstances, that is, when a different kind of grain is used and it is desired to divert the grain in the lowermost chamber to mouth 7, this is accomplished by moving valve 5 to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4. This can be accomplished almost instantly by means of locking member 6. In other words, material that has passed through screening member 3 to the lowermost chamber is diverted into the mill,

Whereas when valve 5 is inits reverse-pos1-- tion the material in that same chamber is diverted into. the dustpan.

I'c-la1m 1. A grain shoe having agplurality, of.

screening members of different, screening capacity, .111 combination with a hopper-lik casting secured to the, upper end. of the; gram shoe and inclined downwardly toward that end, said casting being spaced above the screening member and having its1upper= most portion substantially elevated from;

the grain; shoe,., whereby the-material I is delivered to the extreme upper end of." the grainshoe.

2. In a device of the class described-the combination of a hopper, a grain shoe,

means operatively connected with the grain shoe for agitating samaa hopper-like cast ing secured to the upper end of'the vgrainshoe'at an inclination thereto for conveying material into the .extreme upper end of the grain. shoe,. the aforesaid castingbeing spaced above the .grain shoe and; having its uppermost portions substantially elevated a, hopper mouth spacedfrom b'ut'inproxim-- ity to the aforesaid'casting, ,and'means .ad-1

the extreme upper end of the grain shoe, the:

said. casting having its uppermostportion substantially elevatedabove the graim h B, means \operatively, connected i with 1 the grain: shoefor agitating the same, and a .mill hop; per month in proximity to which the aforesaid grain shoe is mounted...

e 4. In a device. .of the class ;de scribed,,the combination of a grain shoe comprising a; plurality, of superposed screens of"difi'erent. meshand having a valve-controlledgmouth: between said screens and; an, independent;

- mouth above theupper screenQopening.91111;. at one side of the grain :shoe, a hopper-like casting secured to the upper endo f'thegrain,

shoe at an inclination thGIBiEOfOIICOIlVQYlIIg material into the extreme upper; end Of'thegrain shoe,.the saidcasting having'its uppermost portion substantially elevated above the screening-member the casting-beinginclined tOWardSthe upper. endiotjthe;

grain. shoe to deliver, material, to. the; ex:

treme upper end thereof, and means for;

adjusting the inclination of the qraiu shoe.

GHARLIE'L'. SQCKWELL- Copies of this patent'may bezobtainedfor five cents each. by addressing the,0ommissioner of Patents;

' Washington,.D. C. 

